Amy Beverland Elementary School develops robotics team

Thanks to a grant from TechPoint Foundation, Amy Beverland Elementary School in Lawrence has a robotics team for the second consecutive year. The grant funded startup materials and a kit to build the robot.

“We were given a grant from the TechPoint Foundation, which is really trying to promote robotics and STEM education in the state of Indiana,” information specialist Jamie Strebing said. “That was amazing to get it started. We also used some school funding to add a second team and a second robot and materials.”

Strebing said 54 students were interested in joining the team, but there was only room for 16. The Lawrence Township School Foundation will provide funds to have one robotics team at each of the 11 Lawrence Township elementary schools by spring.

“Our Lawrence Township School Foundation just came through with funding for each elementary school,” Strebing said. “So, we are forming a Lawrence Township league to compete against each other.”

Students also will compete in tournaments outside of the Lawrence Township league. The Amy Beverland team competed Dec. 8 of last year and has a competition in February at Heritage Christian School.

“We were going for the experience. We just finished the robot,” Strebing said about last month’s competition. “We wanted to have it be a learning experience, which it was.”

Strebing said the elementary robotics program is a feeder system for the upper grades in the district.

“We have really competitive robotics teams at the high school and middle school levels, so they really wanted to give all elementary schools this opportunity,” Strebing said. “(Students) are coming in with more skills and we have a feeder system coming up through the district.”